


Steam

by happycap77



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Arguing, Assassination Attempt(s), Bathing/Washing, Bloodbending (Avatar), Conflict Resolution, Conversation During Sex, Cuddling & Snuggling, F/M, Firebending & Firebenders, Healing, Major Character Injury, Oral Sex, Plot, Post-War, Reconciliation, Royalty, Running Away, Self-Hatred, Sex, Trauma, Vaginal Sex, Waterbending & Waterbenders, Worry
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-12
Updated: 2020-06-09
Packaged: 2021-02-27 20:28:10
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,624
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22671781
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/happycap77/pseuds/happycap77
Summary: After the Hundred-Year War was over, people still hold grudges against the Fire Nation and its Fire Lord, Zuko. After a nearly-successful assassination attempt, Katara begins to heal him, and it occurs to her how much he means to her. Similarly, Zuko comes to realize how important Katara has been in his own life.
Relationships: Aang/Katara (Avatar), Katara/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 27
Kudos: 170





	1. Chapter 1

Zuko stumbled down the hall of the royal palace, clutching his broken arm and leaning against the wall to keep himself upright. This was the most successful assassination attempt yet, and Zuko could see why. These were highly-trained earthbenders, probably ex-Terra. For many in the Earth Kingdom, the hostile occupations of Omashu and Ba Sing Se were still fresh in the mind, and no amount of promises of peace would stop them from hating the Fire Nation. Zuko knew this, but he never anticipated the lengths to which some would go just to kill him.

As Zuko limped through the twisting halls and corridors of the palace, he counted at least fifteen limp bodies of Fire Nation royal guards. Finding out whether they were unconscious or dead would have to wait for morning. While Zuko wanted to stop and help every one of them if they could be helped, he understood how important he was to his country, his friends, and most notably, the person he was looking for: Katara.

When Zuko finally reached the guest bedroom that Katara was occupying, he fell against the door’s handle to try to open it. Locked. He gripped the handle with his good hand and shook it violently. “Katara!!” He wasn’t surprised; she didn’t trust the Fire Nation, even after four years of relative peace. He couldn’t blame her, knowing what the war did to her family. Unfortunately, her justified paranoia might cost him his life tonight.

Zuko didn’t have a choice. He stepped away from the door. He inhaled deeply through his nose, held the breath, felt its energy fill his body, and exhaled through his mouth. Then, he lunged forward and punched at the door, a ball of concentrated fire erupting from his knuckles, colliding with the locking mechanism. His fist carried through the blaze and splintered the weakened door. What remained of it swung wide and slammed against the inside wall of Katara’s room. Zuko just barely stopped himself from falling over, ignoring the shooting pain that ran from his foot up to his ribs. He saw Katara standing beside her bed, her nightgown hastily thrown on, having been woken by the commotion. She was covering her face with her hands, which were in turn covered by a hovering veil of water.

“...Oh, good, you’re awake,” Zuko managed to say, just before collapsing on the floor.

“Zuko!!” The water splashed on the floor as she rushed over to his prone body. “What happened?!” 

Zuko responded with a pained grunt. He couldn’t answer in full; he was too injured and weak to tell the whole story.

“How bad is it?” Katara asked as she drew the water up from the floor and bent it to cover his back. As it made contact with him, the energy of the water ignited, casting a blue glow throughout the room.

“Mmfh, bad,” Zuko said. The initial healing was always painful, but this feeling was excruciating. He hadn’t felt this much pain since his Agni Kai with Azula.

“What if I do this?” Katara asked as she slowly worked the water up and down his whole body. “Is this any better?”

“No, worse,” Zuko responded through gritted teeth. Katara wasn’t healing him. She already knew his injuries were bad; she just wanted to assess how bad they were.

“I don’t have enough water here,” Katara admitted. “I have to get you to a bath.” She bent the water back into the small basin she always kept on her bedside table.

“Guards…all unconscious…I can’t walk…” 

Katara began to panic. The guards could help her carry him to the washroom down the hall, but that wasn’t an option. If he could walk, she could support his weight, but she couldn’t carry his entire body as deadweight. She was afraid that the only option was to wait and hope that Zuko didn’t succumb to his injuries.

But then, she noticed her shadow on the floor. It was the dead of night; why did she have a shadow? She snapped her head around to see what the source of the light was.

The moon. It was completely full.

Katara cursed the idea that formed in her head.

She spoke in hushed tones, like she could face serious consequences if anyone heard what she was saying. “Zuko, you’re going to hate this, but I don’t really have a choice. I can carry you…with bloodbending.”

She was right; Zuko did hate it. He had seen what bloodbending could do four years ago when Katara bloodbent the leader of the Southern Raiders. He could never forget the unnatural motions and contortions that he’d been forced to make under Katara’s influence. But he recognized that this was their best course of action. He could either let Katara bloodbend him now, or risk leaving his country leaderless. It was a no-win scenario, but one with a clear better choice.

“...Do it,” Zuko said, and braced himself for a sensation worse than he could imagine.

Katara stood, took a stance, and held out her hands. She breathed deeply. “I’m so sorry, Zuko,” she said. She lifted his body from the floor in a single swift movement. He screamed in anguish, a sound that Katara had never heard before; it almost made her cry. She would never be able to forgive herself for doing this to a friend, to someone who had saved her life.

“I’m so, so sorry,” Katara said, trying to hold herself together as she walked with him down the hall. His screaming had stopped, which worried her. She turned him around and noticed he had fallen completely unconscious. “Oh no,” she whispered. She should have remembered. Bloodbending limited his blood flow, preventing oxygen from reaching his brain. “No no no no no!” She carried him as fast as she could to the washroom.

When they had finally made it, she gingerly rested him in the bathtub. She hated having to bloodbend him, but it was the fastest way to get him to the washroom. She just hoped this decision didn’t cost him his life. She hurriedly turned on the faucet, and made an exasperated cry when she saw the water pouring at a painfully slow pace. This was a matter of life and death; she couldn’t wait for the tub to fill. She bent a massive stream of water out from the faucet, causing it to burst and spray water everywhere. Katara quickly contained the explosion and used the yield to fill the tub in a matter of seconds. She then froze over the cavity that the explosion created to keep more water from spraying out.

Katara immediately got to work. She made use of all the water in the tub, assessing the damage and healing up and down his body, normalizing his blood flow, steadying his breathing, soothing his wounds. She didn’t know when he would wake up. All she could do right now is to keep him comfortable, safe, and in the process of healing.

She had never admitted how much Zuko meant to her. His face was always that of her greatest enemy, the force of the nation that had killed her mother. But after seeing the face of the man who had actually carried out the terrible deed, her perception of him slowly, but surely, changed. She realized that her enemy wasn’t people; it was fanaticism. Pride. The willingness to do anything, no matter how costly or how horrifying, in the name of one’s country or organization or honor. Zuko had taught her that pride walks hand-in-hand with death.

Beyond what he had taught her, Zuko was one of Katara’s closest friends. He was a constant in her life, and a person she could rely on was hard to come by in recent years. Aang had always been that person for her, but after his most recent epiphany, he and Katara were no longer on speaking terms. The teachings of the monks that raised him, as well as his encounter with Guru Pathik, were too ingrained in his mind for him to become attached to Katara. He decided it was his duty as the Avatar to remain unattached to people in a romantic sense. He also said, much to Katara’s disapproval, that it was his duty as the last airbender to “spread the gift of airbending,” in his words. What that meant was “fuck as many women as physically possible.” Katara knew it, and Aang knew that Katara knew it. 

After Aang left a year ago with Appa, they never made any effort to reconnect. In Water Tribe culture, monogamy was valued above all else. Sex was an experience that only dedicated partners shared, and it was usually just for the purpose of having children. Katara’s high sex drive was incompatible with her culture’s customs, but she was committed to being monogamous. One partner at a time, but not one partner  _ only _ .

Katara’s mind continued to wander. She had to keep distracting herself with random thoughts so she wouldn’t start panicking again. She also had to keep herself from thinking too much about Zuko. As long as she didn’t pay attention to what was going on, and she continued mindlessly healing, everything would be okay.

It felt like an hour had passed before Zuko opened his eyes again. Katara wasn’t sure how long it actually was.

“Wh...where am I?” Zuko stirred. “Augh—“ He gripped his chest. Moving even a bit caused a dull pain to spread all throughout his torso. “Oh, right…” He looked directly into Katara’s eyes. “Hi, Katara.”

Katara was overjoyed to hear his voice again, but she subdued her emotions. She didn’t want him to know how afraid she had been. 

“You need to find better guards, Zuko,” she said, only half-sarcastically. “You’re lucky I was here. They didn’t manage to kill you, but you would’ve died from the wounds they inflicted. You have several cracked ribs, internal  _ and  _ external bleeding, and a concussion. Also, you shattered the bones in your hand and foot when you broke the door to my room.”

Zuko winced. “Oh, yeah...sorry about that,” Zuko said.

Katara smiled sweetly at him. “Don’t be sorry. It’s not like you did it for fun.”

“Oh, please. You wouldn’t know fun if it was a hog monkey biting your face.”

Katara straightened up. “You’re one to talk, Mr. I-hate-beach-parties.”

Zuko chuckled weakly. “I don’t hate beach parties, I just hate  _ that beach _ . I hate that whole island.”

Katara didn’t let him divert the conversation toward his family history; she knew he would regret it later. “Well, then it’s a good thing you’re here with me and not there.” She stopped healing and stood up. “C’mon, let’s see if you can walk.”

“Already?” Zuko whined.

“Zuko, I have no idea how long you were out and I was healing you the whole time. There’s no way you’re  _ not _ good to at least walk.” She removed the plug on the drain with waterbending and sighed as Zuko stubbornly refused to move, even after all the water was gone. 

“Zuko, seriously?” she said, turning up her hands in a gesture of incredulousness.

“My clothes, they’re too heavy,” Zuko complained. His nightwear was waterlogged, but not nearly heavy enough to weigh down someone who could jump between airships.

Katara rolled her eyes. “I’m not bending the water out of your clothes, you big baby. Stand up. It’ll hurt, but you can.”

Zuko groaned, knowing he wasn’t going to win this argument. He grasped the lip of the tub with his good hand and gently sat himself up. He tucked up his legs and planted his feet on the bottom of the tub. He then pushed himself up to a standing position, dramatically contorting his face at the pain that the exertion caused.

Katara smiled again. “See? Was that so hard?”

Zuko shrugged. “Is it still supposed to hurt this much?”

Katara put her hands on her hips. “Are you saying I did a bad job?”

Zuko’s eyebrows shot up. “Uh, n- no, that’s-”

“You’re free to look for a better healer.”

“That’s-...I didn’t mean it like that. I just...it still hurts a lot.”

Katara chose not to take offense. “No shit. I can do my best to speed up the healing process, but your body still has to put in the work. You’re going to be in pain for a while.”

“How long do you think?”

“Zuko, I’m sorry, but I can’t answer all of your questions. I’ve only known I’m a healer for barely four years, you know.”

“Yeah, but...best guess?”   
  


Katara rubbed her face with her palm. She only just realized how tired she was. “...I don’t know. Weeks maybe.” 

Zuko felt a pit in his stomach. “I can’t be out for that long. I need to be there for my people. My country.” He hobbled over to a bench affixed to the wall and sat himself down hard, like the wind was knocked out of him.

Then, an idea struck him. “Katara, what if you healed me every day? Would that help?”

Katara froze. She didn’t want to stay in the Fire Nation for as long as it would take for Zuko to heal. She had to get back to the South Pole to help Sokka rebuild their tribe. “I mean, I...I could, but…” Her eyes wandered, as though she were visualizing her choices.

“...But?” Zuko asked. There was a hint of desperation in his voice. He would let Katara go if she had to, but he genuinely had no idea what he would do without her.

“But I don’t know. Zuko…” She wanted to be mad, but she saw his face, his scar, his sadness, and her anger dissipated in an instant. She decided, right there and then, that she would stay with Zuko for a whole year if she had to. She couldn’t tell him that, though. He couldn’t know how much she wanted him. Not yet.

“Let me sleep on it,” Katara finally said. “I’ll let you know what I decide in the morning.”

Zuko gave a deep sigh of relief. “Thank you, Katara.”

Katara turned to leave and said “You’re going to be thanking me a lot more.”

Zuko smiled. “I’m sure I will be.”

Just before Katara reached the door to the washroom, she stopped dead. “...I need a new room.”

Zuko’s head drooped, as if weighed down by the memory of what he did. “Oh yeah, the door. There’s another guest room to the right, then left, then two rights, then it’s the second door on the right. Do NOT go into any other doors.”

Katara gave him a look as if to say  _ Are you kidding me? _ and stepped backward through the doorway. Zuko gave her a broad smile as she shut the door.

As she walked toward her new room, she made sure to commit Zuko’s smile to memory. It was such a rare occurrence, and it was such a pretty smile. She would always try to imagine what his face would look like if his father never burned him, always to no avail. His scar was such an integral feature of not just his face, but his character as well. His father tried to banish the parts of his mother that were within him, but he remained beautiful, like her, in both spirit and mind.

Also, if she didn’t think about how he got it, she thought his scar was sexy. 

She dreamt of him that night. It was the closest she could get to sharing a bed with him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katara finds Zuko not taking care of himself properly and hurries him into a healing session. After a heated conversation, she reveals a secret to him that she'd been keeping for a long time.

Katara awoke the next morning wanting only to check on Zuko. It was the first thought in her mind, and it remained the only thought as the grogginess of sleep slowly lifted. She reached to bend the water out of her basin, but then she remembered she was in a different room; she had never moved her basin. Her mind being filled with thoughts of Zuko, she was astonishingly horny, and her favorite masturbatory tool was in a room several hallways away. She sighed in frustration, brushed her messy, unkempt dark hair out of her face, and forced herself out of bed.

Her eyes lazily drifted toward the window in her room. The boiling sun cast fiery streaks of light across her face, causing her to recoil. The light was brighter than she expected.

_ I must have slept a long time _ , she thought.  _ I better make sure Zuko’s not internally hemorrhaging or something. _

Katara always had a knack for worrying too much. In this particular case, however, she imagined that her worries were justified. Someone tried to kill him,  _ again _ , and there was no one to protect him; there was only someone to heal him. 

After wandering around the palace for a while, Katara found Zuko tending to the wounds of a royal guard slumped against the wall of a small courtyard. She loved that he made the effort to be “the people’s Fire Lord,” in his words, but she took issue with the fact that he was keeping up this appearance despite having been mortally wounded less than twelve hours ago. 

“And here I was thinking you might actually take care of yourself for a change,” she exclaimed, walking up to him with a sly smile. “Then I remembered who that ‘you’ was.”

“Actually, I feel great,” Zuko responded. “I must not have been hurt as badly as you thought I was.”

Katara’s brow furrowed and a frown crept its way onto her face. “Well, then, I must have  _ imagined _ the hours of intensive healing I did for you last night.”

“Oh, no, sorry, I didn’t mean to be rude or--”

“No, it’s fine, it’s just...it’s very early and--”

Zuko cocked his head to the side. “No, it’s not.”

Katara’s eyes widened. “Don’t tell me…”

“Yeah, it’s almost midday.”

In an instant, Katara wrapped her hands around Zuko’s forearm and began to tug at him. “It’s been too long already, we have to get you to a bath. Come on!”

“Woah, hey, hold your ostrich horses! I told you, I feel fine, and I’m not done helping this brave man,” he said as he gestured to the guard.

“With all due respect, Fire Lord,” the guard piped up, “and if you don’t mind my saying so, you should go with her. Your life’s more important.”

In an instant, Zuko’s whole demeanor changed. He locked eyes with the man and spoke sternly and with unwavering conviction. “No, sir. My life isn’t worth a modicum more than those of my people. If I can’t protect them, my life is forfeit.” He crouched down to make his own eyes level with the guard’s. “I got this scar defending the Fire Nation. You will have gotten yours for the same reason.” He gave the guard a kind smile. “We’re a lot more alike than you might think.” He stood as Katara tugged at him again.

The guard was stunned. “Uh, thank--...thank you, Fire Lord,” was all he managed to say.

“Call me Zuko,” he said as he began to walk away. 

Katara spent the walk to the bath trying to add a backhanded element to the compliment that her brain was screaming at her to give Zuko. She was so consistently impressed by the effort he made to redefine not only the Fire Nation in this new era of relative peace, but also the position of Fire Lord itself. Considering how the Hundred-Year War affected her personally, it would be hard for anyone to dispel her deep-seated prejudices against the Fire Nation.

He was doing a damn good job of it, though.

Upon reaching the bath, Katara realized she had been clinging to Zuko the whole time. She promptly let go of him and decided that now was a great time to say her backhanded compliment. “So, since when did the office of the Fire Lord care so much about the people?”

“The Fire Lord has always cared for the people,” Zuko responded with a matter-of-fact inflection. “It’s just that...historically, it hasn’t been  _ all _ the people.” He strode over to the tub. “I’ve been trying to address the difference between patriotism and outright nationalism.” He turned to look at Katara, an inquisitive expression on his face. “You’re still not too hot on the Fire Nation, no pun intended. How do you think I’m doing?”

Katara rolled her eyes, both at the pun and his statement that she still doesn’t like his country. It wasn’t the first time he drew attention to it, and it certainly wouldn’t be the last time. “Come on, Zuko, you  _ know _ I don’t feel the same way about you or your country as I did years ago.”

“Right,” Zuko said, “but everyone here is too afraid to criticize me, despite how I’ve been trying to present myself. You’re...whatever the exact opposite of ‘afraid’ is.”

“Not afraid?” Katara teased, arching her eyebrow.

“No, more like...eager. You’re eager to criticize me.”

Katara huffily plodded over to the door and threw it closed. “You sound like Sokka. I criticize you because you need criticizing.”

“Exactly, that’s my point.”

Katara bent water through the ice that sealed the damaged plumbing and into the tub. “...Well, I guess, as a person who used to hate the Fire Nation--”

“You’re not the only one here,” Zuko interrupted.

“--and  _ never liked it _ ,” Katara continued, “I’d say that you’re making...noticeable strides toward a more...friendly nation.”

“Oh. Well, that’s good to hear,” Zuko said as he began disrobing.

Katara noticed Zuko moving in her peripheral vision and looked up to see him taking off his shirt. “Woah woah woah,” she interjected. “What are you doing?”

Zuko looked down at himself, then back up at Katara. “I’m, uh…” he murmured, without a hint of confusion or embarrassment. “...I’m listening. I can multitask, please go on.”

Katara blinked. “Um…” She had forgotten the second half of her criticism. “...no, that was...that was it.” She tried unconvincingly to play it off like that’s all she had to say.

“Really?” Zuko said, now shirtless and undoing the knot at his waist. “You think I’m doing that well?”

“I mean, you can’t do much worse than the other guy.” Katara tried to relax a bit, but it was to little avail as she watched Zuko work off his pants. She was hoping to see him naked at some point, but under...different circumstances.

Zuko smiled. “Yeah, I guess so. Though I can’t help but feel like I could be doing better,” he said, both to Katara and himself.

“We could all be doing better, Zuko.”

“Oh, so you  _ do _ have a criticism for me.”

Katara gestured for him to get in the tub. “Did I say that?”

Zuko began to walk over. “Am I wrong?”

Katara pinched the bridge of her nose. “Can you stop assuming you know how my brain works?” She hadn’t seen anyone naked in over a year. She hadn’t had any intimate interactions in that long either. For the sake of sexual companionship, she wanted to throw herself at him. She kept herself from giving in to her impulses by reminding herself that he was injured, and that talking to him was just as irritating and challenging as talking to Sokka.

Katara loved a challenge.

“You’re right, I’m sorry.” Zuko dipped his foot in the water and immediately pulled it back out. “Damn, that’s cold. One second.” He took a deep breath, held out his hand, and bent fire into the water. In a matter of seconds, the water began to emit wisps of steam. He climbed into the tub and lowered himself into the now-comfortable water. “Ahh, much better.”

Katara sat on a raised platform next to the tub. “Well, I’m glad one of us is enjoying themselves.” Katara was enjoying herself, too. If only she could be enjoying  _ him _ as well.

The water glowed as the healing began. A band of light rolled up and down Zuko’s bare body, clearing pressure points and soothing wounds. “Wow, this feels a lot better than it did a night ago,” Zuko sighed.

“Yeah, you’re actually healing a lot faster than I thought you would,” Katara remarked. “Either you’re more resilient than most, or I’m a  _ really  _ good healer.”

“You don’t need to flatter yourself any more than you already do, Katara.”

“Oh, would you prefer I flatter you instead?”

“I would, actually.”

“Oh, shut up.” Katara couldn’t help but smile, despite how hard she fought against it. “You don’t need any more flattery. You’re literally the ruler of your nation.”

“By my birthright only,” Zuko retorted. “By chance.”

“Come on, Zuko. You’ve fought off so many assassination attempts, even if you were a nobody people would see at least how talented of a firebender you are.”

Zuko looked up at Katara. “Wow, thank you. Did you mean to say that?”

“Well, it’s not like it isn’t common knowledge.”

“Sure, but coming from you...it must mean you do actually like me.”

Katara chuckled. “Zuko, we’ve been friends for over three years at this point. You must know I at least tolerate you.”  _ And want you to do whatever you want with my body _ , Katara thought. It was getting harder for her to keep her feelings in check.

Zuko shrugged. “I don’t know, Katara. I usually tend to think that people don’t like me for one reason or another. That’s why I try so hard to separate myself from my father.”

Katara’s healing became more and more unfocused as the conversation continued. She inhaled deeply through her mouth. “Between you and me…” She leaned in closer. “I don’t think you have anything to worry about.” She straightened up again. “Just keep doing what you’re doing.”

Zuko smiled. “Same to you,” he sighed. “This feels so-o-o good.”

Katara swallowed hard. Zuko was so unbelievably easy on the eyes. Lean and pale with long black hair, a sharp jawline, and noticeable definition in his arms, legs, and torso, he had a much more mature figure than Aang’s relatively boyish form. To be fair, Zuko was four biological years older than Aang, but the fact still stood. He also happened to be better-endowed than Aang, perhaps due to his age, or maybe he was just born lucky. Katara wanted so desperately to use him and let him use her, to explore his body in a different environment, under different circumstances. Both he and she were experienced lovers, having had other partners previously, so she could only imagine what kind of magic they could make together.

Katara snapped out of it. She remembered her tribe and her brother. She began to regret the unspoken decision she made the night before. She couldn’t stay here, not for long, but she also didn’t want to leave anytime soon. 

She had to say it out loud, or else it wouldn’t be real. She wouldn’t have to hold herself to it.

“Zuko, you know I have to go back to the Southern Water Tribe eventually.”

Zuko’s face twisted ever so slightly. “...Okay?”

“What?”

“Nothing, it’s just...you seemed pretty determined to heal me earlier.”

“And?”

“Well, I guess I interpreted that as your decision,” Zuko answered. “...To stay.”

“And why would you assume that?”

“I don’t know, I--”

“You need healing, Zuko.”

“Well, you also implied last night that you don’t need to stay and heal me, but in the morning you seemed almost scared that I had gone so long without healing, so either--”

“It was  _ because _ you were up and moving around!” They were both raising their voice at this point.

“--either you lied last night and you  _ do  _ need to stay, or--”

“I really don’t appreciate you overanalyzing my--”

“Can you not interrupt me?” Zuko interjected. “It’s either that, or you  _ want _ to stay.”

“Why would I want to stay?”

“Do you want to stay?”   
  


Katara hesitated. “...No!”

“I’ll take that as a ‘yes’.” Zuko was just throwing fuel onto Katara’s fire, and he knew it.

A tendril of water smacked Zuko in the face, and Katara shot up. “How can you be so infuriating?! Don’t you know I have nothing to gain from this?! I could get on a ship and leave right now and be losing nothing!”

“Katara.”

“You don’t understand what you’d be missing!” She turned around and anxiously ran her fingers across her scalp. “Oh my god, I could literally drown you right now.” Zuko turned his head to watch Katara as she began to leave.

“Katara, I’m sorry, but I just want to know what’s going on with you.”

Katara spun around in an instant, her face beet-red. “I don’t  _ want  _ to talk to you!”

“Why not?”

“I don’t know,  _ maybe  _ it’s because I don’t want you to know how much I want you to FUCK me!”

Katara’s face drained of color and she clapped her hands over her mouth, like her brain couldn’t keep up with what she was saying. Zuko’s eyes widened, but stayed locked on Katara. The moment hung in the air for a few seconds as they both processed what just happened. Zuko slowly straightened his head to look back at the ceiling.

“...Well, there it is,” Zuko finally muttered.

“What?” Katara replied sheepishly.

“Huh? Oh, I just said ‘there it is.’”

“Oh.”

Katara didn’t intend to tell him like that. The angrier she was, the more likely she was to tell the whole truth, uninhibited by tact, pride, or patience. Regardless of what she intended or how she ended up telling him, the information was his now. She decided that the best thing to do was to own it.

“Zuko...I…” She couldn’t find the right words. She was trying to figure out what else she wanted Zuko to know. “...Aang...he--”

“You don’t need to tell me about Aang,” Zuko said. “I know what happened.”

“He told you?”

“I’m his closest guy friend who isn’t related to you.”

“Yeah, that’s fair.”

There was a heavy silence. They both knew what each other knew, and they both knew that they both knew what each other knew. Saying anything would make the situation more real than it already was.

Katara bashfully slinked toward the tub, intending to resume healing as if none of this had happened.

Zuko finally spoke. “Katara--”

“Shut up,” Katara responded without hesitation.

“Okay.”

Katara sat cross-legged on the raised platform next to the tub. The water began to glow again as she continued to heal Zuko. A painful, crushing, and completely soundless minute passed at a snail-sloth’s pace. They both had a million things to say, but for their own reasons, they couldn’t bring themselves to speak. Zuko didn’t want to upset Katara any more, and Katara didn’t want to seem any more vulnerable to Zuko.

Before Katara could shut him up again, Zuko broke the silence.

“Aang fucked up.”

Katara wanted to be angry, but the words of validation that came from Zuko’s mouth only gave her a warm, soft feeling. She turned to look at Zuko, whose eyes remained unfocused, not really looking at anything. A twinge of emotion broke down her stoic expression.

Zuko continued. “I don’t think he’s moved on. I think he’s regressed.” He finally turned to lock his eyes with Katara’s. “There isn’t a damn thing wrong with attachment. Attachment is what gives life its value.”

The light in the tub slowly faded, then dissipated entirely. Zuko sat up and rested his arms on his knees.

“He told me that the monks and the guru told him to let go of the world and everything that could attach him to it so that he could access the energy of the universe. But if you ask me, that’s a load of shit.” 

Zuko looked disappointed, like he was living in the moment when Aang left. “I can’t believe that he would choose to give up love for the sake of power. Love  _ is  _ power, the best kind.” He realized that he had been listening to his uncle all those years after all.

Zuko’s rant went on. “He just  _ left  _ you, Katara! And as if that weren’t bad enough, he’s now off in who-knows-where treating women like a means to an end! I can  _ guarantee _ you he’s not happy, and he will never be happy until he gets a fucking grip and realizes what he lost! Because he lost a brilliant, strong-willed,  _ beautiful _ woman, who stayed with him through his lowest points, who brought him back from the fucking dead! A woman who loved him!” Bubbles formed on the parts of Zuko’s skin that were submerged in the water. Steam rose from the surface. “It’s his fucking loss, Katara. Not yours. You can’t blame yourself for that.”

There was another silence. Tears began to form in Katara’s eyes. A look of concern passed over Zuko’s face.

“Katara?”

She took a shaky breath. “I j--” The words caught in her throat, as though the lump forming there were holding them back. “I just...want…” She fought with her own voice. The words came out shakily and weakly. “I just...want to be…” A tear escaped her right eye. 

“...wanted...again.”

Zuko’s heart shattered. He knew the feeling all too well.

In spite of himself, and in spite of Katara, he pressed his lips to hers, softly, passionately, overflowing with love and empathy.

“...You  _ are _ wanted.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A week has passed since Katara's admission to Zuko. Since then, they've grown closer and more comfortable with each other. One night, they sleep with each other for the first time.

The past week had been such a blur for Katara, she scarcely had a chance to decompress and process it all. This was one of those chances, and she wanted to take full advantage of it. She realized that after she admitted her feelings to Zuko, it became much harder to be genuinely mad at him. It seemed that only ten days ago, she was blowing her stack at every sentence he said, or at least getting exasperated. Now, she was able to see that every time Zuko talked to her, he was just trying to deepen the connection between them. She wondered if he’d loved her ever since she saved his life for the first time, just after he saved hers from Azula. She should have guessed. She should have opened up to him sooner. She should’ve stopped trying with Aang before he ended up treating her like meat, which, coincidentally, he also never ate. She had grown to find Zuko more attractive than Aang, but her naïvety and circumstances led her to believe Aang was her soulmate. Now, her pulse ran fast and her face grew hot whenever he crossed her mind. She had so much repressed anger that she was never able to release; she had always felt pressure to step up and remain cool-headed ever since she lost her mother. If the last week had taught her anything, it was that outbursts of raw emotion could result in wonderful things.

“Katara?” Zuko said through gritted teeth.

Katara snapped out of her daze. “Mm?”

“Slow down, please,” he said, “unless you want me to cum already.”

“Mm!” Katara shot up, removing Zuko’s cock from her mouth. “I’m so sorry!” she exclaimed, planting kisses on his chest and up his neck. “I was lost in thought, I stopped paying attention to what I was doing.”

“It’s okay, sweetheart,” Zuko said between chuckles. “It was fantastic. I just didn’t know if you wanted to fuck for real tonight.” Zuko his face to hers and placed his open mouth on hers, their hot breath and eager tongues linking together. Katara’s soft moans indicated that she did.

“Mm-hm,” Katara said between heavy breaths. “I really, really do.”

“That’s what I thought,” Zuko cooed. “Or, I guess, what I hoped.” He slapped both of his hands onto her ass, still clad in her leggings, and took a firm hold. “Take these off.”

“Uh-uh,” Katara said. “ _ You  _ take them off.”

“Oh, but these are weird Water Tribe pants,” Zuko complained. “I don’t know how they work.”

“They’re  _ pants _ , dumbass,” Katara retorted. “Take them off.”

Zuko groaned as he worked the pants down around Katara’s hips, then down her legs, but he struggled as they bunched up around her ankles. 

“I can’t…” He took a larger hold and tugged harder. “...get them…” 

Suddenly, all at once, Katara’s pants slipped off, causing Zuko to fall backward onto the bed. “Woah!” Katara giggled as he held the wadded-up pants over his head in triumph. “Got ‘em,” he said victoriously.

“Zuko, come on,” Katara replied. “We’ve kinda got a mood going,” she continued as she clambered on top of him, lining up their waists. She laid a firm, wet kiss onto Zuko’s mouth. She was on her hands and knees, and Zuko was flat on his back, his arms tracing her smooth, tender curves, his legs bent slightly upward so his thighs rubbed against hers. 

“That wasn’t enhancing the mood?” Zuko replied sarcastically.

“Shut up and let me work,” Katara demanded, pushing herself upright.

Zuko’s knees straightened and a broad smile illuminated his face. “Yes, ma’am.”

Katara lowered herself and started to grind slowly on Zuko’s cock, pressed between his own body and her wetness. Zuko closed his eyes and let his mouth hang open in a silent moan, taking in the sensation, allowing himself to relinquish control of the muscles in his face. Without thinking, he wrapped his strong hands around her waist and moved with her, forward and backward, up and down the length of his shaft. He couldn’t wait to be inside her. Just this simple contact was making him twitch and squirm like a turtle-duck on its back. 

“Are you ready yet?” Zuko asked between breathy moans.

“I’m ready when I’m ready, babe,” Katara answered.

“That couldn’t be now, could it?”

“My, we’re impatient today,” Katara said. “I’m enjoying this.”

Katara continued to rock her hips in a slow rhythm, like the gentle ebb and flow of the tides. She laid her hands on the backs of Zuko’s hands and guided them up across her stomach and onto her breasts before leaning forward and bracing herself on her arms. The pace of her hips increased, their heart rates quickened, and their breaths grew shallow. They were each other’s.

“Katara, please,” Zuko begged.

“What do you want?” Katara teased, slowing her motions.

“To be inside you.”

“Ooh, keep talking.”

The corners of Zuko’s lips curled upward. He sat up, wrapped her arms around Katara, and pulled her to him, their foreheads touching.

“I want to feel you wrapped around my cock.”

Desire filled Katara’s eyes.

“I want to drive you fucking crazy.”

She’d waited so long.

“I want to fuck you like a firebender.”

She was ready.

All at once, Katara was flat on her back and Zuko was above her. She wrapped her long legs around his waist and pulled him closer, as though she was inviting him to enter her. Zuko used his hand to guide his cock to the opening of Katara’s pussy, and he ever so slowly pushed himself inside her.

But before he worked his full length into her, he paused.

“What?” Katara said exasperatedly.

“...Was that a dumb line?” Zuko murmured.

“Oh my god, you are literally inside me right now, just  _ fuck  _ me!”

“Fine.”

Zuko began thrusting into Katara, slowly and steadily, subconsciously matching her pace from before. He had forgotten just how much he loved having sex; coming back to it after so long made it seem better than it ever had been. His soft, involuntary moans of pleasure filled Katara deeply with lust. She snaked her hand down to her clit and caressed it with two fingers, bending a thin layer of water onto her fingertips to increase their smoothness, softness, and warmth. She hadn’t forgotten that she loved sex, but what she had forgotten was how good, how empowered, and how loved it made her feel.

“This is everything I imagined it being,” Katara exclaimed. 

“God, I hope so,” Zuko responded. “How long has it been for you?”

“What’s  _ that _ supposed to mean?”

“Nothing, it’s just that I don’t want to disappoint you.” Zuko lowered himself onto Katara, leaning in to bring his mouth near her ear. “Also, you feel so-o-o fucking good.”

Katara smiled, bit her lip, and moaned deeply. She could feel every inch of his cock filling her up, pulsing in and out with the satisfying  _ plap-plap-plap  _ of his hips striking hers. Her hands traced his back and shoulders while her mouth danced across his face and neck. This moment was a long time coming for her, and she would be damned if she didn’t take advantage of every single second of it.

Katara bucked and keened against Zuko as she rubbed her clit. Zuko wetted the fingers on his free hand with his tongue and massaged Katara’s breast, providing an extra layer of stimulation. Her moans grew in volume and frequency as she approached her peak. 

“Fuck, Zuko, keep doing that,” she crooned. Her walls closed in around his cock as she let herself go, cumming long and hard on his shaft. She didn’t think of Aang, or her tribe, or her insecurities. She felt beautiful, and luminous, and powerful.

“My turn,” she said.

“What?” Zuko was too caught up in the ecstasy to process her words.

Before he knew it, Katara was pushing him onto his back. Unprepared for this, he clumsily flipped himself over, causing his cock to slip out of Katara’s pussy.

“Fuck!” Zuko barked.

“Dammit,” Katara said in tandem. She swiftly mounted him and took his cock inside her again. Her taking charge and setting the pace was an expression of her desire and a resolution of her patience. She enveloped his whole length with every movement, reveling in the feeling of him filling her. Her head swung down and her body followed, pressing down against Zuko’s, her mouth meeting his in an open, passionate kiss.

“I can’t tell you how long I’ve wanted to do this,” Katara said.

“When did you--” Zuko stammered and moaned as Katara changed the motion of her hips from up and down to forward and back. “...w-when did you start having eyes for me?”

Katara smiled as she watched Zuko make faces she’d never seen him make before, forming and reforming in pure elation. “Earlier than you’d probably think,” Katara answered. “Remember when we went after the Southern Raiders?”

“Wait...really?” Zuko asked incredulously.

“Something about...you being so willing to help me...to fight against what I always thought you stood for...was so sexy to me.”

“But like...even before you and Aang were official?” Zuko sat up and laid his arms on Katara’s thighs, placing his hands on her ass and moving with her. Katara rested her arms on Zuko’s shoulders and took two handfuls of his hair.

“Oh, come on, Zuko. You can think someone’s hot without dating them.” Katara relaxed her motions, savoring their embrace and enjoying the conversation.

“Huh, I guess,” Zuko said. “I don’t remember when I first found you beautiful. I mean, I always thought you were attractive, but--”   
  


“I should hope you did.” Katara loved to interrupt him, but that feeling of power was particularly delicious now. She leaned in and nipped delicately at his unscarred ear.

“Well, I did, but...there’s a point when I’m just like, ‘Yep, I could absolutely fuck this person,’ you know? And I couldn’t reach that point with you before I dumped Mai.”

“Oh my god, I remember that! Didn’t she try to kill you?”

“I don’t think she actually wanted to kill me.”

“She was arrested.”

“For peace of mind. Also, I’m getting close, can I take over?”

“No, I’m finishing this,” Katara demanded. She dismounted Zuko, shuffled backward, and wrapped her lips hungrily around his cock. Zuko sucked in a breath sharply through his teeth.

“Oh, fuck, you’re so good at this,” Zuko said through gritted teeth. Katara used her hand and mouth together to cover the full length of his shaft, swirling her tongue around the head, moaning softly in encouragement. She could feel him growing in her mouth, edging ever closer to completion.

“Katara, I’m gonna cum!” Zuko stumbled over the words.

Katara lifted her head and looked straight into Zuko’s eyes. 

“Cum for me, baby,” she fluted.

His cum shot out like a fountain, a brilliant culmination of pleasure. Strand after strand of his seed covered her face, accompanied by Zuko’s deep, uninhibited moans. Katara worked her hand up and down his length as he came, her other hand between her legs, rubbing her clit. When it was over, Zuko collapsed, overcome with positive stimuli, and Katara was deeply pleased.

“Fffffffuck,” was all that Zuko managed to say. 

Katara giggled in response. “Was it really that good?”

“Well, yeah, but also...I love you, Katara.”

“Oh shut up,” she said as she snuck up to plant a kiss on Zuko’s cheek.

“No no wait--” Zuko didn’t want his own cum on his face, but it was too late. She had already left the kiss, but the only thing left on his face was the lingering feeling of her lips. “Wait…”

“I clean up easy,” Katara said.

Zuko looked puzzled for a good few seconds. Then his eyebrows shot up in realization. “Ohhh, right. Bending.”

Katara adored how clueless Zuko could be sometimes. On rare occasions it was genuinely frustrating, but mostly she found it endearing. She wrapped herself around Zuko and nuzzled her face into the crook of his neck. Zuko responded by turning on his side and linking his legs to hers. 

Zuko’s voice had fallen to just above a whisper. “I just...I can’t believe it took me until now to realize it. I really do love you.”   
  


“And I really want you to shut up,” Katara retorted.

“No, I won’t. Not about this. Not when it’s the truth.”

“It’s not the truth.”

“Katara, you said you wanted to feel wanted. Let me shower you in praise.” She was silent. He took this as his cue to continue. “You constantly surprise me with your determination and sheer strength of will. You’ve been through so much shit, some of it genuinely traumatizing, and yeah it still affects you, but you wouldn’t know it based on how you carry yourself. You have such a confident, unalterable aura. You pull no punches when you stand up for what you believe in. You’re so sure of yourself, and you know what’s right, and…”

“You don’t have to go on. I get it.”

“Katara, do you remember when we were both trapped in the Crystal Catacombs beneath Ba Sing Se?”

“Yeah, what’s your point?”

“That was the moment we first saw each other as human beings, rather than...targets. Ideas. Symbols of our enemies. We actually began to trust each other.”

“Right, and then you immediately betrayed that trust.”

“Katara, if you don’t think I’m different  _ now _ , then we have a problem.”

Katara sighed. “All right. I still don’t know what your point is.”

“My point is, well,  _ you’re  _ a huge part of the reason I’m different now. You and your...stubbornness, your boldness, your fervent spirit. You showed me that--that the world isn’t black and white, and it doesn’t belong to anyone. All you can do and all you should do is whatever is best for it.”

Katara clutched Zuko tighter.

“And the Fire Nation?...It was actively destroying the world. And it took you telling me about your mother to even begin to realize that.”

Zuko looked straight into Katara’s face.

“Katara, you don’t recognize how brilliant of a person you are. You already know how I feel about Aang’s decision, but I’m going to say it again. He’s a fucking idiot for leaving you.”

Katara smiled. “I at least know I’m a good sexual partner.”

Zuko’s face lit up. “You’re an AMAZING sexual partner!” Katara laughed at his enthusiasm. “See? You  _ do _ like yourself, even if the most important person in the world to you at the time made you forget! And you know what? You make me fucking laugh.”

“Okay, now I’m  _ certain _ you’re lying.”

“Katara, you’re funny. Look into my eyes and tell me I’m lying.”

She met Zuko’s eyes. She tried to look stern, but couldn’t maintain the facade. “Okay, I don’t think you’re lying. But if I’m funny it’s not on purpose.”

“You don’t have to try to be funny to make me laugh.” Zuko placed a delicate kiss on Katara’s forehead and wrapped his arm around her, drawing her in closer to him. “You’re the best, Katara. I hope I can help you realize that about yourself.”

For the first time in months, Katara was happy. She was right where she wanted to be, content and calm, entwined with someone who cares about her, just after some incredible sex. 

“Hey Zuko?” she uttered.

“Hmm?”

“I love you, too.”  



	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zuko comes clean with Katara. He wants to tend to old wounds, but it means he might have to reopen them first.

_people watch me wherever i go._

_they gawk and cheer and holler._

_it used to mean something. it doesn’t anymore._

_does anyone care about who i am, not what i’ve done?_

_it doesn’t matter, does it?_

_no one can see past my title. no one even wants to try._

_but that’s what i ran away from._

_will i ever be happy? or sad? i thought i would feel something by now._

_i’m in too deep now. if i go back i’ll be shunned._

_no place left to go but forward._

***

Katara awoke alone in Zuko’s bed, naked and shivering. She didn’t bother to crawl under the blankets; she just grabbed them and rolled over to the other side of the bed, wrapping herself up in them and clutching her arms close to her chest. She wished she could hold Zuko right now, but the scent of him that lingered on the blankets provided her with some comfort. 

The room was aglow with the fiery yellow light of dawn, illuminating the deep reds and shining golds of the walls, curtains, and furnishings. There were no paintings of Zuko’s family, save for the portrait of his mother he kept on his bedside table. The only images that adorned the walls were the Fire Nation insignia on a large tapestry, a map of the four nations, and a painting of a nondescript landscape.

As the pall of sleep began to fall away from Katara’s eyes, head, and mind, she found herself craving Zuko. When she was warm enough, she freed herself from the blankets and trudged over to the washroom. She entered a tall cabinet, what Zuko had called a “showerbath”, and scanned the details of it. There was a small handle that resembled the faucet on the tub in which she healed Zuko, but no spout from which water would flow. She looked above her head and spotted something that looked like a spout, but ended in a sort of flat disc with tiny holes spaced evenly throughout it. She figured that the water must come from there. She turned the handle below the spout and was rudely greeted by an unrelenting stream of frigid water. She squealed and sputtered before bending the water away from her face. She scrambled out of the cabinet, almost tripping over herself in the process, and reached in to shut the water off. Running water was still a relatively new concept to Katara; she still wasn’t used to water moving unnaturally without a waterbender.

“Need some help with the showerbath?” she heard a voice behind her ask.

She spun around and covered herself, but relaxed when she saw it was Zuko.

“No, I figured it out,” she snapped unconvincingly at him. He put on a half-smile that he knew she loved. “...but I wasn’t gonna use it anyway.”

“Sure you weren’t,” Zuko responded, his smile broadening.

“I’m a waterbender, dummy. I don’t need it.” She walked over to the sink and turned on the faucet. As the water flowed into the basin, she bent it up into the air and gathered it into an orb. As she moved her arms, the water danced across her skin, leaving trails and droplets wherever it went. The water split into tendrils and snaked all over her body as she spun and shifted her stance. The gentle babbling of the flowing water accompanied Katara’s focused breathing. Her back now to Zuko, she gathered the water at the top of her head, collecting her hair in the undulating mass. She worked the water over the crown of her head, her locks flowing freely as though they were unaffected by gravity. She pulled her hair straight before bending the water back into the sink basin. She turned to face Zuko again and, in one swift motion, all the residual water on her skin leapt into the air and turned to mist. Katara gave Zuko a sly smile.

“Close your mouth, hun,” she said. Zuko’s mouth snapped shut so fast it made a sound. “But you’re right, I’m incredible.” She strode over to him and pressed her lips to his. He returned the kiss before pulling away.

“Katara, there’s something you need to know.”

Katara’s face changed from content to one of concern. “...What? Did something happen?”

“No, no...well, yes. But no one’s been hurt and no one’s in danger.”

Katara sighed and walked around Zuko toward her balled-up clothes on the floor next to the bed. “Okay, so what is it?” she asked as she hurriedly threw them on.

“I know where Aang is.”

Katara froze, halfway-clothed, and turned her head to meet Zuko’s eyes. “Wait…” Her eyes narrowed. “...you’ve been _looking_ for him?”

“I mean, I have been, but you can’t--”

“Stop. Just…” Katara was fuming. The thought of Aang alone made her upset, but the fact that Zuko had been looking for him made her blood boil. “...why?”

“Katara, I don’t want you to think I--”

“No no no no no. Just tell me _why,_ ” Katara demanded as she finished dressing herself.

Zuko took a deep breath. “Well...Aang is still the Avatar, and the world still isn’t at peace. I don’t think he knows that.”

“If he doesn’t know that the world’s still a shitty place, then he’s an idiot. And he _is_ , and so are you if you think that contacting him will--” Katara stopped dead, coming to a sudden realization. She stepped toward Zuko and pointed a finger at him. “You don’t need to contact him. You _want_ to. You want him to do something for you.”

Zuko bowed his head. “You always were good at reading people.”

Katara turned away from him and forced an unamused laugh. “So what do you want him to do? Protect you? Try to get the Earth Kingdom to calm the fuck down? I don’t know if you know, but he’s kinda busy right now.”

“Katara--”

“What?!”

A heavy silence hung in the air. Zuko had no idea how Katara would react to what he was about to say. He knew it had to come out at some point, and he knew that the sooner it did, the sooner she would forgive him.

“...I wanted to give him a chance to fix what he did. I know better than most people what it’s like to beg for forgiveness from someone who only loved you.”

Katara never wanted to see Aang again. Sometimes she wished he would just die so that the world would have a new, less senseless, more water-y Avatar. She would always banish the thought, but she would never deny the appeal of it. She hated Aang through and through, and she didn’t think she could ever forgive him. But she had also never tried to.

She slumped down onto the bed and put her head in her hands. She was at war within herself, unable to say or do anything.

“Can I say one more thing?”

Katara sighed. “...Fine. What?”

“I don’t want to see him either. You know I’m on your side here.”

“You’re testing that.”

“If he’s not willing to apologize or change, I won’t ever try this again, not even secretly.”

“You’d better not.”

“I’m going to invite him to come here. Everything after that is up to him.”

There was another uncomfortable silence. Katara seemed to be mellowing out, so Zuko continued.

“I really, truly think he regrets what he’s done. I think it’s killing him inside knowing he hurt and alienated you. He hurt and alienated all of us. I want to believe he’s better than that. I want him to make the effort to fix this. But more than that, I just want him to be the Avatar again. I want him to do his fucking job.”

Katara flopped onto her side. She didn’t understand what she was feeling, but she knew that it was overwhelming. She also knew that Zuko wasn’t looking for Aang with bad intent, and he certainly didn’t want her to get back together with him. He only wanted to make the world a better place, but more importantly, he wanted her to be happy. 

“Zuko...I want to be furious with you. I want to piss and moan until one of us dies. But I…” She groaned and rolled onto her stomach, pressing her face into the bed. “...I literally can’t stay mad at you.” She grabbed a pillow, lifted it up, and slammed it back onto the bed. “But it’s making me mad that I can’t be mad!”

Zuko couldn’t help but laugh. “Sorry for laughing, but you’re funny.”

“Shut up, I don’t like you.” She threw the pillow in his general direction, but still missed completely.

Zuko strode over to Katara and laid a hand on her back. She responded with a pitiful moan, seemingly in protest. He rubbed his hand up and down and around her back, applying the smallest amount of pressure. He wasn’t sure how else to comfort her in this moment.

All of a sudden, Katara flipped over and pulled Zuko’s outstretched arm. He yelped as he lost his balance and collapsed onto the bed. 

“Hey!” Zuko exclaimed.

“Tell me you love me,” Katara said.

“I love you,” Zuko responded without hesitation.

“Tell me this doesn’t change anything.”

“This doesn’t change anything.”

Katara flipped over and looked straight at the ceiling. She still wasn’t sure how to feel about all this. She couldn’t tell if she was more upset about Zuko trying to contact Aang, or that he went behind her back to do it. Though, she couldn’t blame him for expecting her to react strongly, given how she reacted anyway.

“Zuko?” said Katara.

“Hmm?”

“If you had asked me if it was okay for you to try to reach Aang, and I had said no, would you have tried anyway?”

Zuko thought intensively on how to answer that question. He didn’t want to lie to her, but he also didn’t want to upset her further. He didn’t even know if a ‘yes’ or a ‘no’ would upset her more. He decided not to use either.

“Katara, you know that I’ve only ever done things in the pursuit of hope. I hope that Aang can get his head out of the clouds, I hope he can smooth things over with you and the rest of us, and I hope he can be the Avatar again. That’s why I did this at all.”

Katara could tell he was avoiding the question. “That’s the weirdest pronunciation of ‘yes’ I’ve ever heard.”

“It’s a ‘probably’, actually.”

“It’s still a betrayal.”

“Katara, come on. I need to be able to make my own decisions. I’m not betraying you. I used up my one betrayal in the Crystal Catacombs, remember?”

That comment coaxed a ghost of a smile out of Katara. “Yeah, I remember.”

“So please, trust me on this. I’m doing this for the world, but I’m also doing this because I love you. I want to be the guy who makes you happy, and I think working this out with Aang, just at least to the point where you no longer want to gore him with ice harpoons, will go a long way toward improving your quality of life.”

Katara turned her head to face Zuko’s. He continued, now looking right into Katara’s eyes. “It might not even happen. But if it does, please...try to talk to him. For me.”

Again, there was a moment of silence. This one, however, was more tender, the air no longer thick with hostility. They were finally coming to an understanding.

Suddenly, and without warning, Zuko’s face was completely coated in water. His entire body stiffened and he instinctively inhaled through his nose, sucking water up into his sinuses. He choked and coughed and tumbled off the bed, ungracefully collapsing in a heap on the floor. He furiously wiped his face dry with his shirt, still not entirely sure what happened, at least until he heard Katara’s raucous laughter from above him.

“Oh my god! That was even--” Her words were cut off by another burst of laughter. “--even better than I thought it was going to be!”

Zuko paused, stuck with a startled, confused look on his face. “...That was _you?_ ” 

“Who the fuck _else?_ ”

Katara continued to laugh as Zuko collected himself and stood up. “Listen, I know I went behind your back, but I’m not sure I deserved that.”

“Maybe, but I deserved to do that _to_ you,” Katara responded, wiping away tears.

Zuko rubbed his temples. “How is that any different?”

“It isn’t,” she said, quick as a whip. “I’ll talk to the fucker. I don’t expect it to go anywhere, but still. I’ll do it for you.”

Zuko sighed. “Thank you. I can’t imagine how much you don’t want to do this, and I’m so, so grateful.” He sat back down on the bed. “Now if you’re okay with it, I’d like to kiss you for real.”

Katara pondered the proposition for a moment, trying to decide whether or not she was in the mood. However, like she said earlier, she just could not stay mad at him. 

“Eh, whatever,” she murmured. She grabbed Zuko’s shirt and pulled him closer. She planted her lips on his and snaked her free hand up his chest and around his neck. Somehow, she always forgets how much she loves kissing Zuko until she actually does again, and then it immediately comes back to her. He returned the kiss with similar enthusiasm, clutching her tight, affirming that he loved her just as much now as he always had. 

Katara slowly pulled away, eyes closed, with a broad smile. “You know, I almost forgot how much I love you.” She pushed him over and climbed on top of him.

They spent the rest of the morning together.

***

_alone again. no surprise._

_i’ve talked to a lot of people over the past year._

_didn’t have a single real conversation._

_so many people love me, but none of them are my friends._

_i always end up lonely. i always run._

_until today._

_a hawk with a black ribbon came to me._

_someone still cares._

_i’m not going to run from this._

_it’s going to be hard to see him again, but i’ve dealt with harder._

_after all, i’m the Avatar._

_helping people is what i do._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you've read this far, remember to wash your hands :)


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aang shows up at the Fire Nation Royal Palace, ready to come clean to Zuko. He doesn't know that he'll have to come clean to Katara too.

Zuko stepped out through the massive front doorway of the Fire Nation Royal Palace, flanked by two Imperial Firebenders. This was all merely a formality; he often considered relaxing the extravagant show of power, deeming it an unnecessary, obsolete relic of a bygone war. When that war lasted for 100 years, however, the habits and customs developed during that time tend to be difficult to leave in the past.

Zuko spoke with compelling authority. “The Fire Nation is proud to welcome the Avatar into its heart!” The disappointment he held for the person he spoke of was completely imperceptible.

Aang strode up the steps of the palace, approaching the Fire Lord, trying to appear confident and proud. “It’s my honor to be here.” In truth, he was terrified. He had no idea how this day would go.

Zuko spun on his heel and walked back through the doorway, beckoning the Avatar to follow. The heavy metal doors creaked as they turned on their hinges, then rang out in a cacophony of clangs and thumps as they slammed shut and the locks fell into place.

Aang’s posture noticeably changed after the doors closed. He appeared timid and tense, like he wasn’t supposed to be here. It seemed to be dawning on him that his situation was becoming inescapable. Zuko’s stride, on the other hand, remained elegant and deliberate, looking straight ahead at all times; the level of self-security that he showed was almost intimidating to Aang.

The two of them entered a small chamber, one of multiple war rooms in the palace. This one had been meant for clandestine, off-the-books meetings between the Fire Lord and one or two Imperial officers. Now that the war was over, most of the war rooms had been or were being refurbished, but this one remained untouched. It was an unadorned, uninteresting room with a low ceiling, a couple of sconces, and a rectangular wooden table. There was a raised platform at the far end of the table where the Fire Lord would sit, but other than that slight change in elevation, there was no other indication that it was the Fire Lord’s place.

Zuko walked briskly to the chair on the raised platform and stood behind it. He pulled it out from under the table ever so slightly, but made no motion to sit in it. Aang walked to the nearest chair and sat down. He didn’t look at Zuko, but he could feel his gaze bearing down on him.

This was the first time the two of them had seen each other since Aang left. He had only said goodbye to Katara, and even then it was only in the form of a single-page note. Despite the friendly, extravagant welcome, Zuko was not happy to see Aang in the slightest. He had lived with the aftermath of his unceremonious departure; he had seen how it affected his friends, and especially how it affected Katara.

Zuko decided there had been enough awkward silence.

“Just so we’re as clear as possible, I want you to tell me why you decided to come.”

Aang’s posture shifted, seemingly in defense, making him appear smaller. His eyes dropped to the table, not looking at anything in particular, just gazing at the plain wood. His mouth opened, seemingly preparing to speak, and closed again. He decided not to answer the question, and instead ask his own.

“Can you tell me why you invited me?”

Zuko deflected it. “Why I invited you isn’t important; what’s important is that you came at all. I’d like to know what motivated you.”

Aang’s head drooped. He was scared of what might be coming for him, and it showed. He took in a breath, then hesitated.

“Yes?” Zuko prodded.

“Well, I guess…” He continued thinking about how to answer that question. “...I guess I just wanted to…” He really didn’t have an answer. “...um...see a friend.”

“Whether or not I’m your friend depends on what happens today,” Zuko retorted without skipping a beat. “What do you want to gain from this? What’s in this for you?”

Aang felt like he was being interrogated. He also felt like he was being watched by more eyes than just Zuko’s. “I don’t know, I--”

“Don’t tell me you ‘don’t know,’ Aang. Give me an answer.” Zuko’s tone stayed steady and stoic, a firm and cold sound.

“I’m trying, I can’t--”

“You had all this time to figure it out, and now you’re ‘trying?’”

“This isn’t something I’ve ever been good at, you know that.”

“Yeah, well this is kind of important. Stop running, Aang. Face it.” Zuko pushed the chair out of the way and leaned forward, bracing himself with his hands on the table. He asked the next question slowly and sharply, like a scalpel making an incision. 

“Why are you here?”

Aang looked away from Zuko, back down at the table. He never imagined that he had hurt Zuko as much as it seemed he had. It killed him to see this side of Zuko, a side he had never seen before, not even when he was the banished Prince. Aang found it impossible to reconcile his own view of himself with how he treated his friends.

Before he knew it, the words were tumbling out of his mouth.

“Zuko, I’m so sorry. I hate that I did this to you. I can’t believe that I didn’t think of how I might have hurt you. How I might have hurt everyone. I hate that I ran away again.” As he spoke, he grew louder and more frustrated. “You’d think I would have figured out by now that running away fucks everything up more than it doesn’t. You’d think that _I_ , of all people, would know that.” He looked back up at Zuko. “So I came to apologize. For running away again, and for hurting you. I can’t live with myself, with the way I was, anymore.”

Zuko came up off of the table and stood with an ineffably regal posture. He wasn’t quite six feet tall, but at this moment, he looked like a giant. To Aang, it looked like he was weighing his answer. He couldn’t tell if he was surprised, satisfied, disappointed, or none of the above. Suddenly, he called out.

“You can come in now.”

The door began to open and Aang’s head spun around. He shot up out of his seat when he saw Katara enter the room. “Katara…” he uttered. Tears welled up in his eyes. “I, um...I didn’t know--”

“Yeah, no shit,” Katara said, the words pointed and venomous. “Sit down. You’re not going anywhere.” Aang immediately collapsed back into his chair. He couldn’t believe she was here. He knew he would have seen her again at some point, but he imagined him surprising her. He was completely unprepared to talk to her.

Zuko began to walk toward the door. “That’s it for me. This is between you two now.” As he opened the door and slinked out, he gave Katara a look that said _I hope this works_ , then silently shut the door.

Aang was utterly petrified. He had left Katara a year ago, but it had felt far longer than that. Now that he was in this room with her, it didn’t feel long enough. He couldn’t look her in the eye; the only other time he had seen that look was at the Western Air Temple, when they had accepted Zuko into their group. He never expected that she would look at him the same way.

“Katara--”

“You’re a fucking idiot.”

“I know. I--”

“I still can’t believe how monumentally stupid what you did was.”

“It was, and I--”

“Not only did you leave me, but you left me for literally anyone else.”

“I know what--”

“You fucking skank.”

“I’m sorry.”

“You’re sorry.” Katara began to walk toward the Fire Lord’s chair.

“Yes.”

“That’s it?”

“No.”

“Go on.” She sat, kicking her feet up on the table.

“I never wanted to hurt you.”

“That’s fucking rich.” She looked at her nails.

“I really thought that was what I needed to do.”

Katara snorted and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Moon and ocean, Aang.”

“What?”

Suddenly, her voice was loud and fiery. “Why didn’t you let me help you?!”

“I didn’t think I needed help!”

“You _always_ needed help! You had friends to help you! Friends who loved you!”

“I know--”  
  


“You _know?_ ” She shot up and pointed an accusatory finger at Aang. “You don’t fucking know. You can’t possibly know if you keep running away from the shit you have to face.” She slowly and deliberately stepped around the corner of the table, like a polar bear dog stalking prey. He still refused to look at her.

The part of the table below Aang’s face was splotched with tears. “Katara, I’m sorry. I’m more sorry about this than I’ve been about anything in my life. I don’t know what else I can say.”

“Oh, I can think of _plenty_ that you can say.”

“Then can you help me?”

“I’m done helping you.”

“You said I need help.”

“Yeah. Get it from someone you won’t feel bad about abandoning.”

Aang squeezed his eyes shut, wrapped his hands around his chest, and stifled a sob. “That’s what I do, isn’t it? I abandon people when they need me.” He lowered his head onto the table. 

“You tend to do that.”

“And when I need them.”

“Y-y-yup.”

“It took me way too long to figure that out.”

“And have you figured it out?”

“Yeah.”

Katara sighed, then made a small gesture with her hand. “Well, that’s good at least.”

“You know, I…” Aang tried to say, but the words caught in his throat. He swallowed hard, then continued with effort. “I...never felt like...I deserved you.”

A twinge of pity furrowed Katara’s eyebrows for a split second, but she quickly suppressed the emotion. “Well, you definitely don’t deserve me now.”

“Yeah...I know.” Aang decided there was no use trying to justify his actions anymore. He was just going to tell the truth. “I...I tried to let you go. Twice. I was totally willing to stop loving you, to forget all about you, in pursuit of power.” He looked up at her. “Then, when I realized you are the best person I’d ever known, I silently, secretly, began to hate myself.”

Katara didn’t bother to hide her pity anymore. She took a slow seat directly across from him. This whole time, she had it wrong. It didn’t change the fact that what he did was unconscionable, but now she knew why.

Aang continued. “You _are_ the best person I have ever known. I thought that someone who would let you go could never deserve someone like you.”

Katara was now the one averting her gaze. “So...what, you thought I didn’t love you? For something I didn’t even know about?”

“No, not--...actually, yeah, that’s right,” Aang admitted.

“...Huh.” Katara rubbed her face. “All this time I thought...I thought you had grown tired of me, or your stupid Air Nomad teachings kept you from attaching yourself to me, or something like that.”

“Katara, I’m so, so sorry I didn’t say anything sooner.”

“We might have still been together if you had.”

“Yeah.”

The silence that followed was the heaviest that either of them had ever felt. Occasionally they would risk a glance at each other, but they would always look away immediately when their eyes met. They were the closest they’d been to each other in over a year, and they couldn’t quite remember how they used to be.

“I feel like my soul got run over,” Aang muttered.

“Yeah, that makes sense,” Katara responded. “I _did_ run you over.”

“I’m just so...so fucking sick of this,” Aang said with a subdued two-handed gestured. “I’m sick of being this person. I can’t run anymore, I won’t let myself.” He built up the courage to look Katara in the face. “Katara, you are the best thing that has ever happened to me. You helped me in so many ways. You were always there for me, even and especially when I thought I didn’t need you to be. You’re incomparable, inimitable, unforgettable, and absolutely...beautiful.” His eyes fell back to the table. “And I forgot.” He wrapped himself in his own arms again. “Because I’m a fucking idiot.”

Katara suddenly felt the unique pain of guilt wash over her. She was still angry at him, unshakably so, but she realized that she forgot something, too. She forgot how much she used to love him. She forgot how eager she had been to try and cheer him up whenever he was upset, anxious, or stressed.

“Aang...do you remember when you slipped into the Avatar State in the Si Wong Desert and you couldn’t control yourself? And how I helped you come out of it?”

“Vaguely, but yes.”

“I wanted to be that person for you forever. I wanted to be with you forever. I...I loved you.” She tried her best to throttle her emotions, but she could feel tears gathering in her eyes and a lump forming in her throat. Her speech wavered. “I wanted to be the one who grounded you, who reminded you that this…” She reached out and touched his hand. “...us...was enough. Not just enough, but plenty.” She retracted her hand. “Now I...I’m sorry, but...I just can’t trust you anymore. I can’t trust you to stay.”

Katara’s words struck Aang like a ton of bricks falling on his chest. His face contorted as a sob shot from out of his lungs. He cried, overcome with sadness and disappointment, wrapped in the knowledge that he did this to himself.

“Aang…” Katara stood up and walked around the table. She stood next to him for a few moments before gingerly laying her hand on his back. “I’m sorry for everything that happened. I wish you had handled it differently, but I’m still sorry.”

Aang’s sobs subsided and his breath steadied. “I’m sorry,” Aang managed to say. “That was undignified.”

“None of this is dignified. Don’t worry,” Katara responded.

Aang took Katara’s hand. “Thank you.”

“Yeah.” Katara didn’t know what else to say. “Listen, you should probably go. I’ll fill Zuko in.”

“No, I want to talk to him.”

“Are you sure?”  
  


“Yeah. I have nothing to lose.”

Katara sighed. “Yeah, I guess. I’ll go get him.”

“No, just tell me where he is. I’ll go to him.”

“Oh, okay. Do you remember where his room is?”

“Yeah. I’ll go now.” Aang stood up, gathered himself, and walked toward the door.

“Hey, Aang?” Katara said just before he stepped out.

“Yeah?” Aang said, turning around.

Katara took a deep breath. “I’m glad you decided to come. It must have taken a lot of courage.”

Aang smiled. He simply said “Thanks,” and walked out the door.

After he left, Katara found herself stunned. She wasn’t expecting herself to compliment Aang in any way. She thought she was going to be furious the whole time. She thought this conversation would go nowhere, and she would leave feeling the exact same way. But she already learned with Zuko that an outburst of emotion, coming clean without inhibitions, can be the best thing a person can do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to everyone who reads this! These characters and this story mean a lot to me personally, so it warms my heart to see people enjoying it.
> 
> I only have a solid plan for the story through to the next chapter, so I'm open to any suggestions!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zuko and Katara deal with the aftermath of learning Aang's secret.

Katara lay curled up in a ball on her bed in her small bedroom. She played the scene over and over again in her head. She had entered the war room with conviction, immediately forgetting Zuko’s advice to stay calm once she saw the person who ruined her mind sitting not ten feet away from her. She had walked to the Fire Lord’s chair and sat down, venting her anger while doing so. He reminded her of a scared armadillo lion, wrapped inside itself, hiding within its shell. It was going exactly the way she had envisioned. Then he revealed something she never expected.  
Katara had always assumed it was his ego that caused him to leave, but in truth it was quite the opposite. He had no ego. He hated himself. He didn’t think she wasn’t good enough; he thought she was too good. He projected his hatred of himself onto her and drove himself away from someone who loved him. To Katara, knowing was both satisfying and devastating; satisfying because she now knew for sure that she wasn’t the problem, and devastating because she wished he had said something sooner. None of it mattered anyway, because it was all too late now. She had internalized and repressed the hurt a long time ago. Since then, she could only be angry; today, all she felt was the crushing weight of loss. She and Aang lost each other a year ago, and lost each other all over again today; only this time, they knew the real reasons why.  
“Zuko-o-o-o!” Katara called out. She didn’t know where he was; she just hoped he could hear her.  
“Zuko!!” she barked, louder this time. She wanted to scream and cry and fight something, but she also just wanted to stay completely still until she was forcibly moved. She figured Zuko would help her get out of her own head. She remembered, though, that she sent Aang to talk to Zuko, and she had no idea how long that would take. The last thing she wanted was for Aang to stay any longer than he needed to, but she also didn’t want to rush them. She knew how important this conversation would be for them, and she wanted it to be the only thing on their minds.   
Her emotions convinced her of the exact opposite.  
“ZUKO-O-O-O!!!”  
A few minutes later, but what felt like an hour to Katara, Zuko threw open the door to her room. “Are you okay? Did you hurt yourself?” His concern turned to sympathy when she rolled over to show him her face. It was somehow both expressionless and full of sadness and confusion.  
“Do you feel this way, too?” Katara asked.  
Zuko sighed. “Yeah, to an extent. C’mon, let’s move to my room.”  
“But--”  
“He left already, don’t worry.”  
Katara uncurled herself, but didn’t make any effort to get off the bed. Zuko hung his head and smiled. He walked up next to the bed and took Katara’s hand in his. “You can be a snail-sloth all you want in my room.”  
Katara let out a heavy, pitiful sigh. “...Okay,” she conceded. She rolled to the edge of the bed, then swung her feet down and onto the floor. She walked right past Zuko’s outstretched arms and out the door. Zuko stayed standing with his arms out in Katara’s room. Did he make the right choice by inviting Aang to the palace? Did he jeopardize his relationship with Katara? Did he reawaken her feelings for Aang? These and similar questions weaved and danced through his mind, making him forget that he was standing alone in a room with an open door, his arms offering the hug that Katara rejected. He let his arms swing freely back down to his sides, then walked languidly out the door and toward his room.  
Zuko entered his room to find Katara on his bed, in the exact same position she had taken in her own room. He couldn’t help but smile.  
“Katara?” he said.  
“Mm,” she responded, more a grunt than an actual response.  
“Do you want to talk about it?”  
Katara breathed deeply. “No…” she said without conviction. “...yeah…” she admitted.  
Zuko walked to the bed, climbed onto it, and sat cross-legged next to Katara. “Okay, so what did he--”  
“No, actually I don’t want to talk,” she said, rolling over to face the wall. “I still hate him.”  
“You can hate him all you want.” Zuko paused; he didn’t want to press Katara on the issue, but he also wanted her to feel better as soon as possible. “I just hate seeing you like this.”  
“What, I’m not allowed to be sad?”  
“No, that’s...that’s not what I meant.” Zuko weighed the words in his mind. He needed to get Katara talking, but he couldn’t do it in a way that seems selfish. “I just...I think you deserve to be happy after all the shit you’ve been through. And if there’s a chance I can help you get to that point, I’d jump at it.”  
“Can you just--” Katara caught her tongue. She knew that Zuko was only trying to help, and she wanted him here more than anything else right now. She decided that the best option was to just say what she wanted.  
“...can you just stay here? And let me have you?”  
Zuko relaxed. “Of course,” he said. “Let me know if you want to talk.”  
Katara rolled over, wrapped her arms around Zuko’s lower torso, and squeezed tightly. Zuko reciprocated by putting his arm around her, allowing his hand to rest on her hip. They stayed this way for a long time. Zuko wasn’t sure if Katara had fallen asleep, but he didn’t want to say anything or disturb her. If this is what she needed, he would be happy to oblige. The last thing he wanted to do was leave her alone after seeing Aang for the first time in an entire year.  
Suddenly, Katara spoke.  
“You’re better to me than I am to you.”  
“Wha--?” Zuko gasped. He was taken completely by surprise by Katara’s sudden and unexpected vulnerability. “....Okay, what did Aang say to you?”  
“That doesn’t matter. What matters is I need to start trusting you as much as you trust me. I need to be better if we’re going to make this work.”  
“Katara, don’t--...” Zuko stopped himself from criticizing her. He had to make an effort to not be antagonistic. He decided, like usual, to just tell the truth. “You’re already the person I want to be with. And I will say that as many times as I need to and I’ll mean it every time. You’re one of the best people I’ve ever known. You deserve so much happiness, and I’m so honored that you find happiness in me.”  
Katara looked up at Zuko with tired, sad eyes. “You mean it?”  
Zuko pressed his lips firmly to the top of Katara’s head. “Yeah, I really do,” he said. “I don’t think you realize how much better I am because of you.”   
Katara curled herself up tighter on Zuko’s lap. “Shut up.”  
“Katara, you literally threatened to kill me once.”  
“Shut up, no I didn’t.”  
“And I deserved it.”  
“Don’t say that.”  
“It’s true, though.”  
“Seriously, I’m mean to you enough, you shouldn’t be mean to yourself.”  
“Katara. Stop.” He was looking her dead in the eyes. “I tried to kill you at least a few times. And it was because I literally didn’t care about anyone except myself and Aang.”  
“Okay, but we both know you’re not that person anymore. I shouldn’t be mean to you.”  
“I don’t even notice it, honestly.”  
“And that’s exactly the problem!” Katara shot up. “Because I am mean to you, and it’s on purpose. I’m really, really sorry. I care about you too much to be mean to you anymore. I’m afraid I’m--” She cut herself off. She shut her eyes tightly and breathed deeply, as though she were trying to reset her emotions. “I’m afraid I’m gonna lose you.”  
Katara’s fear is something that Zuko had experienced the other side of more times than anyone his age should. First his cousin, then his mother, then Mai, and most recently, Aang. He knew the pain of loss enough to understand that Katara was looking for a promise that Zuko would never leave her if he could help it.  
But Zuko knew she was stronger than that. Coddling her would be doing a disservice. He had no idea how Katara would react to what he was going to say next, but he knew that, regardless of her reaction, it would be the right thing to say.  
“You might.”  
He could see Katara’s heart plummet. He instantly regretted saying it so tersely, but he couldn’t back down now.  
“I mean, I’m the ruler of the country that caused and perpetuated the most destructive war in history. Yeah, relatively speaking, we’re in a much more peaceful time, but wars never end cleanly. People...hold grudges and cling to outdated beliefs. Katara, you’re still here because I almost died. It’s because of you that I’m still alive today. So, yeah, you might lose me.”  
Katara tried to blink away tears, to no avail. They streamed steadily down her face, but she didn’t speak against anything Zuko said. It made her sad, but she knew he was right.  
Suddenly, Zuko wrapped his arms around her, firmly laid his hand on the back of her head, and pressed his lips to hers in a gesture that seemed to fill the world with light. He pulled away ever so slightly, and rested his forehead on hers.  
“That’s why I’m here now. Because in this moment, the only things in the entire world are the two of us. No Aang. No Fire Nation. And as long as this moment lasts, you will never lose me.”  
Katara immediately returned the kiss; a fierce, intense motion, her hot breath filling Zuko’s mouth. They locked themselves into the kiss, arms around each other, reveling in the presence of one another. Katara pulled her legs out from beneath her and wrapped them around Zuko’s waist, enveloping him in a full-body hug. He responded by gripping her even tighter.  
“I love you, Zuko,” Katara whispered.  
“I love you, too,” Zuko responded as his mouth trailed down her face and onto her neck, biting softly and flicking his tongue as he went. Katara’s hands grasped at the fabric of his shirt, pulling and tugging at the only barrier between her and his bare skin. Zuko noticed what she was doing and happily obliged, lifting his arms and pulling away ever so slightly so she could pull his shirt up over his head. She pulled a little too fast, and the collar caught on Zuko’s chin and jerked his head back. “Ow!”  
“Fuck, I’m so sorry!” Katara apologized while working the collar around and up off of his head. She tossed it away and checked to see if he was okay. Suddenly, she found herself being pulled down as Zuko clasped his hands around her back and fell backwards.  
“I’m taking you with me,” Zuko teased. “I will have my revenge!” His levity informed Katara that he was unhurt.  
Katara smiled and giggled. “I think I can convince you not to take revenge,” she fluted. She undid the belt that bound her shirt together and pulled her arms out of the sleeves, revealing the skin from her neck to her navel.   
Zuko always thought that Katara was sexy, but tonight she was utterly gorgeous. Before he knew it, he was taking his own shirt off with the goal of pressing his bare skin to hers, feeling her breasts compress against his chest, and feeling his cock swell against the fabric of his pants. As he rose to wrap his arms around her, Katara began rocking her hips back and forth, feeling his bulge grow in anticipation.   
“You’re so fucking hot,” Katara whispered in Zuko’s unscarred ear. He responded by running the tip of his tongue up her neck and to her own ear. She sucked a breath in through her teeth, and let it out as a soft moan.  
“You’re so, so gorgeous,” Zuko whispered. “I want to make love to you, Katara. Right now.”  
Katara melted. She worked the waistband of her pants down around her ass, followed by Zuko eagerly helping her pull her pants down off her legs. He undid the knot on his own pants and pulled them down past his cock, which sprung up excitedly. Katara pressed it down against his body and lowered her folds onto the underside of his shaft, simultaneously leaning down to kiss him. As she rolled her body, she felt his cock stiffen even more and herself more impatient to take it inside her.   
This was the happiest Zuko had been in a long time, and certainly over the last week or so. There was still so much that was uncertain in the future of his life, Katara’s life, and the life of each and every one of his people, but he was right; in this moment, none of that mattered.  
Zuko lifted Katara and laid her on her back, her legs falling open. He climbed on top of her and braced himself with his left arm, using his right to guide his shaft toward Katara’s opening. As he entered her and she enveloped him, they fell even deeper in love. The sex they were having tonight wasn’t rough and fueled by lust like it had been before; rather, it was a passionate union between two souls that, despite years of trauma, disillusionment, mistakes, hatred, and deep loss, never forgot how to love.  
Katara pulled Zuko down to press her lips to his. “I love you,” she panted.  
“I love you so much,” Zuko breathed in response.  
They reveled in their union, saying everything they needed to with their eyes and their breath and the motion of their hips, with their hands on each other’s most intimate areas, with their tongues that left tingling trails along each other’s curves and ridges. Katara’s legs wrapped again around Zuko’s waist and pulled him in tighter. Zuko’s pace quickened, thrusting deeper and harder inside her. She could feel him building, approaching his peak.  
“Katara, I’m--” The overwhelming sensation cut him off mid-sentence. “--I’m gonna--”  
“Cum inside me,” Katara said as she locked her legs together. She was approaching her own peak.  
“Oh,” Zuko moaned. “Oh, Katara!”  
“Oh, Zuko, yes!” Katara squealed.  
With every pump of cum Zuko released into Katara, her walls closed around his cock as she joyously bucked and twitched up against him. Their arcing moans filled each other with satisfaction and pride. They bit and licked at each other’s lips, pressing themselves together as much as they possibly could.  
After they both finished, they collapsed in a heap, huffing and panting, not thinking, just being. Totally in love, one with each other, peaceful and safe.   
“What a day,” Zuko said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone, sorry this took so long, I'd been finishing up school, then I started another fanfic with a friend of mine ("Four of a Kind" by generaldisdain, Frozen fandom) and this one just kinda went off by the wayside. I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Remember to wash your hands, stay safe, and #BLM!!!


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